Investing In Women
The Women’s Fund is dedicated to increasing support in Middle Tennessee for programs serving women and girls. The Women’s Fund was established within the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee in 1994 by a committee of community leaders who wanted to invest in long-term solutions for transforming the lives of women and girls, improving the well-being of our entire community.
The Women’s Fund awards grant funding to programs addressing:
- Achievement of economic self-sufficiency for women
- Prevention of violence against women and girls
- Promotion of health, well-being and talent of women and girls
We are grateful for the 200+ women who have led 30 years of the Women’s Fund!
Past Board Members Include:
Jessie Adams
Elizabeth Akers
Honey Alexander*
Denise Alper
Sue Atkinson*
Grace Awh
Lori Badgett
Sallie Bailey
Julia Baker
Meera Ballal
Jean Ann Banker
Judy Barker
Megan Barry
Shannon Barton
Dawn Becker
Sybril Bennett
Nancy Benskin
Ginna Betts
Julie Boehm
Angela Bostelman-Kaczmarek
Jen Bottorff
Leilani Boulware
Thallen Brassel
April Britt
Mary Brockman
Cathy Brown
Betty Brown*
Elizabeth Broyhill Morris
Louise Bryan
Laura Lea Bryant
George Bullard
Weezie Burgess
Trudy Byrd
Lisa Campbell
Rosalyn Carpenter
Tricia Carswell
Sunny Bray Cartmell
Joanne Cato
Margie Cavalier*
Laura Chadwick
Jenny Charles
Barbara Chazen
Agenia Clark
Karen Clark
Krystal Clark
Kathy Cloninger
Brittany Cole
Lisa Cole
Andrea Conte
Colleen Conway-Welch*
Keva Cooper
Brenda Corbin
Robin Costa
Beth Courtney
Anna Cramer
Sondra Cruickshanks
Katie Crumbo
Donna Dalton
Tabitha Daly
Anne Davis
Jane Davis
Patricia Davis
Suann Davis
Katherine Delay
Allison DeMarcus
Elizabeth Dennis
Barbara Devaney
Leslie DiPiero
Laura Lee Dobie
Martha Donnelly*
Perri duGard Owens
Missy Eason
May Dean Eberling*
Georgette Eftekhari
Kay Elam
Zainab Elberry
Trisha Elcan
Annette Eskind
Jane Eskind*
Katie Ezell
Irwin Fisher
Sue Fort White
Beth Fortune
Cory Franklin*
Appy Frenchman
Julie Frist
Melissa Frist
Ann Fundis
Mary Gambill
Karlen Garrard
Stacey Garrett
Tammy Genovese
Lynn Ghertner
Marcela Gomez
Tipper Gore
Meredith Griffith
Joanna Hall
Brittainy Hall
Carolyn Hannon
Kerry Hansen
Ruth Ann Harnisch
Cordia Harrington
Deborah Harris
Estie Harris
Megan Hart
Mary Anne Harwell
Jeannie Hastings*
Lucy Haynes
Sandra Hecklin
Edwina Hefner
Lolly Henry*
Beth Higham*
Phyllis Hildreth
Ellen Hoffman
Collins Hooper
Jennifer Horton
Marci Houff
Ann Houston
Sherry Howell
Susan Huggins
Robin Hurdle
Claudia Huskey
Lynne Ingram
Mary Anne Jackson*
Hope Jacobson
Elizabeth Jacobson*
Jennifer Jezewski
Whitney Johns
Beth Johnson
Marcy Johnson
Susan Jones
Beverly Keel
Thelma Kidd
Peggy Kinnard
Tonia Klein
Ann Kloeppel
Jessica Kopperud
Coco Kyriopoulos
May Lavender
Brenda Law
Ellen Lehman
Liza Lentz
Delorse Lewis
Fran Linley
Anne Linnemann
Sandra Lipman
Jan Maddox
Lethia Mann
Ellen Martin
Alyne Massey*
Johari Matthews
Jody Mattison
Barbara Mayden
Candy McCampbell
Regina McCrary
Jane McDermott
Gwen McFarland*
Keith Meacham
Vickie Mertz
Rosetta Miller-Perry
Rita Mitchell
Kitty Moon-Emery*
Beth Moore
Julia Morris
Jenni Moscardelli
Caroline Mullin
Kitty Murfree
Valerie Nagoshiner
Arshi Nasseh
Dianne Neal
Jeanie Nelson
Janet Nelson*
Stacey Nickens
Asha Nivison
Lauren Ossolinski
Arnita Ozgener
Patricia Paiva
Liz Palmer Brundige
Elizabeth Papel
Richard Payne
Andrea Perry
Stephanie Perry
Linde Pflaum
Jane Powers
Phyllis Qualls
Janet Rachel
Kathryn Rakow
Linda Reeve
Donna Richards
Sandra Roberts
Holly Roche
Mary Rolando
Carolyn Rosenberg
Nancy Saturn*
Emily Schneller
Mary Schoettle
Joyce Searcy
Mary Jo Shankle
Caroline Shockley
Cameron Simmons
Sally Smallwood
Laura Smith
Suzanne Smothers
Leah Sohr
Sarah Sperling
Perian Strang
Cassie Sturdivant
Zulfat Suara
Jasmine Sweet
Debi Tate
Debbie Thrash
Emily Tidwell
Melanie Tigrett
Van Tucker
Laura Turner*
Deb Varallo
Sukie Vaughan
Mimi Vaughn
Jessica Viner
Melissa Watkins
Kay West
Paulette Witworth
Gail Williams
Leigh Ann Witt
Mandy Young
Robert Zelle*
Mayra Zimmer
Alice Zimmerman*
Nancy Zoretic
* Deceased
A Permanent Endowment
The Women’s Fund is Middle Tennessee’s leading resource for identifying and supporting the needs of women and girls. As the only endowed fund of this kind, we can affect powerful social change within our communities.
Through the endowment within the Community Foundation, 5% of the interest generated from the Fund is given annually to provide support to programs dedicated to helping women and girls in our community. As the principal grows, so does our ability to meet crucial needs and affect social change.
The Women’s Fund not only addresses immediate needs, but also the root cause of need, helping to craft impactful solutions . Growing the endowment enables the Fund to shift from intervention to prevention, from temporary to permanent, and from short-term to transformative.
Building Endowment
We are building on a solid foundation – more than 30 years of providing the vehicle for women-led change in the lives of women and girls and, as a result, their families and community. The Women’s Fund has been a catalyst, identifying challenges, marshaling resources, and pursuing opportunities. The Fund has granted more than $2.8 million to scores to Middle Tennessee nonprofit partners.
To connect more individuals and families with resources that bring health, hope, education, and enrichment, The Women’s Fund seeks to grow its endowment and grantmaking abilities.
We have the opportunity to focus on women-led solutions by providing leadership and stewardship in identifying the needs and supporting solutions. Together, we can unite money, ideas and actions to create lasting change for women and girls, their families and our Community.
The Women’s Fund Board
Women who lead by example
The Women’s Fund Advisory Board is composed of community leaders who believe deeply in ensuring that the needs of women and girls in Middle Tennessee are met both today and tomorrow. Our Advisory Board members are a diverse group of women with a common passion for our community and the desire to improve the lives of all of its women and children.
Our 2024-2025 Board Members:
Members of the Women’s Fund board.
Jessie Adams
Lori Badgett
Julia Baker
Nancy Benskin
Angela Bostelman-Kaczmarek
April Britt
Jenny Charles
Karen Clark
Brittany Cole
Anna Cramer
Georgette Eftekhari
Joanna Hall
Brittainy Hall
Claudia Huskey
Lynne Ingram
Jennifer Jezewski
Beth Johnson
Tonia Klein
Ellen Lehman
Fran Linley
Johari Matthews
Regina McCrary
Valerie Nagoshiner
Stacey Nickens
Asha Nivison
Arnita Ozgener
Andrea Perry
Phyllis Qualls
Emily Schneller
Caroline Shockley
Cameron Simmons
Sarah Sperling
Zulfat Suara
Jasmine Sweet
Melanie Tigrett
Gail Williams
Leigh Ann
